Woodbridge Suffolk

[mossie]

I often break my routine with a visit to the pleasant little market town of Woodbridge, which is about 8 miles from home. I cribbed this street map from a board outside the museum.



The town dates back at least to the Saxon period, with King Raedwald having been buried in his longboat at Sutton Hoo a few miles away across the river Deben. The town is asssumed to be the port by which the Saxons entered this area, and from where they traded with the near continent.
Sutton Hoo lays on the hills on the horizon here



The typical mediaeval church of St Mary stands just off the Market Hill





It has some nice stained glass



A good old font



Which shows signs of attention from the Puritan Reformationists



A British Legion standard is laid up here



The bell ringers have to be short and slim



Some of the more worthy residents get to be buried inside under necely engraved tablets



Second tier citizens have to wait in the rain, and how would you fancy the churchyard as your back garden?



The north porch has some nice stone and flintwork



Also some relatively modern saints in the niches, no doubt relacing those broken down after the Reformation



The side entrance leads out onto the Market Hill and to the town well



The town contains some oddities, notably this pub which still houses the original steelyard weighing machine, designed to weigh loaded carts. This was an incredible invention worked by leverage and the principle was still continued by the 20th century weighbridges.





The Shire Hall, built about 1570, was originally open at the bottom to house the market which was started by the Priory in 1227.



Here it is in context



This old doorway nearby marks the site of a defunct pub



The jettied upper stories of these houses betray their medaieval origins



And here is a lovely front gate



So now I am back to the Thorofare, which, prior to WW11, carried the main A12 trunk road, running from London to Gt Yarmouth along the old coaching route. Now the principal shopping street

[bjd]

Looks like a pleasant little town, Mossie. I like those old churches with the gravestones all around -- I saw several like that in Yorkshire when I went.

I'm glad to see you finally got some sunshine too.

[htmb]

Delightful photos and narrative, Mossie. I love looking at the architecture, brick, and colors. Interesting to see what looks like pale salmon and purple in the last few photos.

[mich64]

Delightful Mossie! Can we expect some photos of the market to come? Looks like you picked a lovely day to go.

[Deleted]

The last photo is just as amazing as in similar villages in France when you think that only 20 or 30 years ago in many case, the main highway -- and all of its traffic -- passed right through the centre. I remember how grimy the buildings used to be along such streets.

The rest of the town looks quite nice, but I bet the local youth go elsewhere for excitement.

[tod2]

It's a lovely little town Mossie and reminds me a lot of villages on the Isle of Wight.
That church porch is magnificent! I noticed the corbel brick work on the building in your photo of the village well.
Fancy trying to weigh carts on that downhill road! Maybe it was more level then?

[mossie]

Thanks for the compliments.
Woodbridge, in common with the other coastal, or near coastal, towns in the region, has been discovered by the bankers and their ilk, keen to spend their obscene bonuses. House prices are getting away from the locals, this also explains the chi-chi pastel colours obtained from grossly overpriced paint.

I apologise for my little rant but having seen this area go from a pleasant forgotten rural area to a playground for the rich I get carried away.

[mossie]

Another visit yesterday and noticed this odd medieval coachhouse?



The Angel is quite a common pub name, not altogether PC perhaps



On the way out of town I passed Buttrams Mill. It stands on rather a congested site so is not easy to get a decent snap. It is the later type of mill, known as a tower mill this one built in the 19th century.



The sails are mounted on the cap which is automatically turned into the wind by the fantail, similar to the mill at Saxtead Green.



Here is the mechanism driven by the fantail, which turns the cap

[Deleted]

That's a quite impressive mill. I also like the coach house.

[mossie]

A visit to Woodbridge today realised this shot of houseboats in the muddy dock, they only float on a good high tide.



One boat had this very odd painting on the bow



It was a lovely day, being the start of a promised heat wave, forecast to reach 30C, say 85F.



On the way home we had lunch in a favourite riverside pub

[mossie]

Last minute Christmas shopping trip to Woodbridge, also to catch a rare bright sunny day. This was once a row a normal shops, now twee stuff, except of course the pub, which has been there since time immemorial.

[mossie]

Took myself for a coffee in Woodbridge yesterday determined to make it up the hill to the market square



This statue has been repositioned here, it used to stand in front of the District Council Offices housed in a good old building. However that has not proved grand enough for the present mob of bureaucrats, who have had built an grand new palace outside the town. After much debate the Little Drummer Boy has been relocated in front of the Town Hall



Close by is the town War Memorial. Note the long lists of names on the main plinth, which are for the fallen of 1914-18, compared to those on the lower plinth for the 39-45 affair. Sadly the same surnames recur.



Close by is one to Queen Victoria, erected to commemorate her Golden Jubilee



I had earnt my coffee in the tweely named Wild Strawberry cafe, this colourful row at the top of the square I see has already been posted

[kerouac2]

Very nice additions and thank you for testing our eyes.

[mossie]

Sorry. Postimage threw me and I forgot one has to fiddle about for size each time

[lugg]

Enjoyed this short but sweet up date mossie